George guillaume andre



centers UNITED 1 STAT s To all whom it may concern.-

" and useful Improvements in the Manufacture .oi-Gunpowdcr, (for which I have received its physical qualities from those obtained from the use of mainly one variety of nitrolose with a small proportion of dinitro, (partly about two parts by weight of trinitrocelluglycerin all thoroughly combined by the aid of the explosive consist in that it burns at PATENT "met.

GEORGE GUILLAUME ANDRE, or G LENLEAN SANDBANK, NEAR GREENOCK, SCOTLAND, AssIeNoR T0 CHARLES HERBERT CURTIS, OF LONDON,

ENGLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF GUNPOWDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part'o't'lettrs 'Patent No. 576,532, dated February 9,:1 1 89 7,

Application filed May 6, 1892. Serial No. 432,045- (No spa Be it known that], GEORGE GUILLAUME ANDRE, civil engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Glenlean Sandbank, near G-reenock, in the county of Ron;

frew, Scotla'hd, have invented certain'new Letters Patent in Great Britain No. 11,383, hearing date July 4, 1891;) and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will pertains to make and use the same.

Heretofore nitrocellulose, either in the soluble form (as diuitrocellulose) or in the insoluble form, (as trinitrocellulose,) has been used in combination with nitroglycerin as a .n ingredient in explosives for blasting'pu'rposs and more recently in smokeless gunpowder. It has also been proposed to make explosives consisting of nitroglycerin and trinitrocelluaccidentally present. and partly sometimes purposely added,) the solution and thorough combination of the ingredients being effected by 'heat and heavy pressure, together with a small amount of a suitable solvent, such as acetone or acetic ether, or by such solvent alone at the ordinary temperature or slightly above it. Now it has been discovered, by a. series of experiments extending over a long period of time, that a compound containing lose, the so-called insilsble nitrocellulose, and one part by weight of dinitrocellulose (the so-called soluble nitrocellulose) forms a base which, in combination with nitroof-a suitable solvent, such as acetone or acetic ether, giveh a product differing materially in cellulose, and one which is more suitable as a gunpowder. This product is translucent, tough, and leathery and in use practically s1nokeless;-but the essential characteristic features of the product obtained by proportioning the trinitro and dinitro constituents.

such a rate and yields sucha volume of gases Nitroglycerin .l. 40

cimeusd Patented in nllglfllld July 4, 1891, No. 11,383.

that together give sufiicient velocity to the projectile without giving rise to dangerous or excessive pressures within the firearm, rendering the use of the explosivep'rfectly safe, a desideratum that has long been sought, and is still the great difi'iculty manufacturers have to donten'd'with. Moreover, by. proportioning the nitro'constituents as described there is 'no exudation of nitroglycerin, as is the case with many of this class of explosives, and particularly with the smokeless explosives manu-, factured by. the Abel process.

' The following weight proportions form suit able compounds: I 6

. 3 Per cent. Per cent. Insoluble nitrated cotton 40 Soluble nitrated cotton... 20

. 100 100 The amount of acetone necessary for dissolving the insoluble nitrated cotton would be in the first case about thirty parts and in the second about forty. a

As is well known in the manufacture of nitrocellulose compounds with nitroglycerin, 4 it is of comparatively small importance, except for practical convenience, whether the solvent is first added to guncotton (trinitrocellulose) for dissolving it and then combining the solution with collbdion-cotton (dinitrocellulose) and nitroglycerin, the two latter ingredients being already combined or not, or whether the solvent is first added to the nitroglycerin and then the guncotton and then the collodion'cotton' added, or whether the compound or mixture of the highly-nitrated and of the less highly-nitrated cellulose is first treated with the solvent and then mixed with the nitroglycerin. In all cases, as is well known, the'nitro'glycerin is only able to dissolve the dinitrocellulose, while the acetone or acetic ether dissolves the triuitrocellulose.

The manufacture is by preference carried on at the ordinary temperature. The gelatinous inass resulting from a sufiicient knead. ing of the compound may then be granulated by the usual means. f The solvent having evaporated or been otherwise removed by.

ICO

'known means, the material is ready for use.

5 such as paraflin', which are well known for i -I claim-r}, V

With the ingredients named may $150 be incorporated suitable material in small proportions for modifying the explosiveness and for protecting againstatm ospheric infi liences, shellac, or graphite, all of such purposes.

1. Infthe' manufacture of substantially smoke es's explosivesa base consisting of two '10 parts of titinitrocellulose and one part of dinitrocellulose, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. v 1

3, A Jglb$1jfllg iially smokeless explosive consisting of 'trixl' izocellulose, dinitroqellulose and uitrngly ing tough, leathery, and translucent, and characterized by its combines q a t e a t rate of combustion, yield of gase non-6X11- in the proportions substantia'lly as heroin flicscri'bsii, Said explosiv bep dation of the nitroglycerin, and i C s a ce- GEORGE GUILLAUME ANDRE. Witnesses:

.Gno. J. B! FRANKLIN;

WALTER J. SKEBTEN, 

